Chancellor to announce £400m funding for further education
Sajid Javid will announce an additional £400m of funding for further education in England in his spending review next week.
The chancellor said the money would support the introduction of new T-level qualifications.
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Writing in the Guardian, he also promised to treat colleges “with the seriousness they deserve”.
It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government would pump billions into England’s schools.
The T-levels are to be new two-year qualifications starting from September 2020, which give 16 to 19 year olds a mix of classroom learning and “on job” experience.
They will include subjects like accountancy and catering and have been developed in tandem with the industries involved.
The influx of money will also fund new technical and vocational courses as well as science, engineering and maths.
“I want this investment to start to end the snobbishness in some quarters about the quality and importance of a vocational education,” Javid said.
“It was an FE college that equipped me with the qualifications needed to pursue my ambitions.
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“We’ll make a strong statement in backing it at next week’s spending round and I’ll continue to look at what more we can do to help, just as my FE college opened my horizons and set me on my way.”
Education secretary Gavin Williamson said the funding would allow young people to “get skills to get the right jobs”, while also helping to cover costs, including pensions.